• Bulletin No, 28 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 

DIVISION OF BOTANY. 



The Chmote; k Iwm teTABiE. 



BY 



O. P\ C^OOK, 




LIBRARY QF G0N6R1 

RECEIVED 

OCT 7 1901 

DIVISieM OF DOCUME 



WASHINGTON: 

OOVERNMENT PIIINTING OFFICE. 
19 01. 




Book_^JlCx 



3ul. 28, Div. of Botany, Dept. of Agr. 



Plate i. 




A CHAYOTt VINt. 



THE HELIOTYPE PRINTING CO.. BOSTON. 



Bulletin No. 28. 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

DIVISION OF BOTANY. 





:1 





BY 



O. F. COOK, 



Spet'inl A.y;eiat lor Tropieal A-gi'ic-ult iiv*^. 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
19 01. 






31 ^^'^"5 
. ot D« 






C/1 



LETH^R OF TRANSMHTAL 



U. S. Department of Acjriculture, 

Division of Botany, 
Wasliington, D. C, May 17, I'.iOl. 
Sir: I have tlie lioiior to transmit hei-ewith, foi- piiblication as I>ul- 
letin No. 28 of this Division, a paper by Mr. O. F. C'ook, Special Agent 
for Tropical Agricultnre, entitled "The Chayote: a Tropical Vege- 
table." As far as known, this is the first adeqnate acconnt of the 
nature, culture, and economic value of this promising member of the 
squash family. Althongli of American origin and long confined to 
the American tropics, tlie chayote has recently attained popularity in 
Australia and Algeria, and from the latter country hundreds of tons 
of the fruits are now shij^ped annually to the markets of Paris and 
London. In Porto Rico the chayote is produced in large quantities 
for domestic consumption, and no reason is apparent why it may not 
become an article of export as a winter vegetable for the cities of the 
United States. It seems, also, to be eminently worthy of cultiva- 
tion in the (xulf States and California, as well as in Hawaii and the 
Pliili]ipines. 

Respectfully, Frederick V. Coville, 

Botninst. 
lion. James Wilson, 

SccreMd'jj oj' ^i(jrici(/fur('. 



CONTENTS 



\ Page. 

Introduction -- --\- 7 

The chayote plant -. - - .._..,. .......I. 8 

Botanical characters and affinities ... - .... 8 

Vitality of the fruit - - 9 

The seed and germination .. l_ ..... 10 

Varietie.s of the cliayote — . . . . . 13 

History and names . . . - - . 13 

Origin .. . 13 

Distribution . -. ... 15 

Common names .- .. ... .--.- . - 17 

Scientific Hi! me _ _ 18 

Growing and marketing- - . -. . .. .. — - - 18 

Cultivation .. ... ... _ _ _ — 18 

Freedom from diseases and insects . .. . 20 

Yield and prices . - . . . . - 20 

Marketing the fruit 23 

Uses of the cliayote_ ........ . .. - 33 

The fruit as human food _ . . _ 33 

Chayote shoots as a substitute for aspar .gus ... _ . ._ . 33 

Fruits as fodder . . _ _ . 34 

Vines for forage and fiber . _ . . . _ 34 

Uses of the root ... . . . . _ . - . 34 

Value as a bee plant _--.. _ . . .. . 36 

The chayote as an ornamental . 37 

Preparation for the table _ . _ ... 37 

Stage of growth for use ... 37 

Cooking . - 37 

Jamaican recipes _ . 38 

French methods of preparation .. . _ ... ... 29 

Economic importance and commercial prospects . 30 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page. 

Plate I. A chayote vine Frontispiece. 

II. Sections of chayote frnit .. 8 

III. Chayote fruits. Round White variety . 10 

IV. Chayote fruit. Long White variety 12 

V. Chayote fruit, Pointed Green variety . ... 13 

VI. Chayote fruits,, several varieties - - . . _. 16 

VII. Chayote fruits, Oval Green variety . ... 20 

VIII. Chayote leaf and flowering branch . --- 36 

6 



THE CHAYOTE: A TROPICAL VEGETABLE. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Notwithstanding the proverbial luxuriance of their vegetation and 
the number and variety of their botanical species, tropical countries 
are generally deficient in herbaceous or annual food plants coi-re- 
sponding to the garden vegetables of temperate climates. Humid 
tropical regions are normally covered with dense forests wdiich permit 
the growth of relatively few herbaceous plants; and of those which 
maintain an existence under these unfavorable conditions very few 
have developed characteristics which make them suitable for human 
food or for cultural propagation. It is in the drier, more elevated, 
and colder regions that herbaceous plants have really flourished and 
become diversified; so that, even though belonging to tropical fandlies 
and having originated in what are commonly deemed ti'opical coun- 
tries, many of our useful species do not thrive so well in the moist 
Tropics as in the temperate regions. This is true, for example, of the 
melons, squashes, tomatoes, and eggplants, and, in fact, of nearly all 
the herbaceous food products which can be grown to maturity within 
the limits of the temperate summer season. 

Shrul)s or trees and all slower-growing herbs of tropical origin are 
permanently limited, of course, to winterless countries. To this last 
category belongs the chayote,' for though the perennial root permits 
the jjlant to winter through wherever the ground is not frozen, only 
relatively small croi)s can be obtained where the growing season is 
limited by cold weather. 

While the chayote undoubtedly suffers under too great moisture 
and heat, it is obviously more tropical than most garden vegetables; 
and as its culture is extremely easy and the fruit is an acceptable arti- 
cle of diet, it has important possibilities of usefulness in the agricul- 
tural development of many tropical countries. In Porto Rico the 
chayote (or, as it is there called, the " tayote ") stands in quantity and 
popularity well up in the list of vegetables offered in the markets of 
all the larger towns. The annual production of tiie island must have 
a value of niany thousands of dollars, although quite unconsidered as 
a source of wealth because the consumption is entirely local. And 
there is every probability that the utility of the chayote may be greatly 
extended in Porto Rico as well as in the other tropical territory of 



' Pronounced chi-o -tay. 



8 THE chayote: a tropical vegetable. 

the United Stat-<\s and in the wanner parts of California and tlve (4nlf 
region. 

The chayote is a climbing vine bek>nging to the Cucurbitaceae or 
gourd family, but to a section different from that which includes the 
squashes, melons, cucumbers, and other related plants in general 
cultivation. The fruit of the chayote contains a single, short-lived 
seed, and it is jirobably owing to this fact that it is not so well known 
as its relatives in tropical and semitropical countries. I'he intro- 
duction of a superior variety of a plant already in cultivation is no 
longer attended with any special difficulty or delay, but new jjlants 
are still popularized with extreme slowness until they reach the point 
of comnu^rcial importance. Particularly is this the case when, as 
with the chayote, the seed can not be kept in stock or handled in 
large quantities by dealers, who have thus small incentive to adver- 
tise or make other special efforts to bring the new plant befoj'e the 
public. The culture of the chayote is extremely easy wlien once a 
beginning has been nuide, and its desirable qualities are such that 
in spite of the obstacle of a difficult seed supply it has gradually 
made its way from Mexico through tropical America to Brazil, and 
is also known at many points in the Old World, from Spain and 
Algeria to the East Indies and Australia. But this extension of dis- 
tribution is in numy cases of recent date, and the value of the plant 
is still very imperfectly realized, even among intelligent agricultur- 
ists of regions where it is not unknown. In addition to the fruits, 
which are considered an excellent substitute for the summer squash 
or the vegetable marrow, though very different from either, the climb- 
ing vine is of use as an ornament for covering fences and arbors, the 
numerous flowers are rich in honey, and the large tuberous perennial 
roots are charged with starch and furnish a wholesome food material 
comjjarable to the true yam. 

THE CHAYOTE PLANT. 

botanical characters and affinities. 

The chayote suggests the cucumber rather than any other of the 
cultivated plants of the same family, but is a larger and more vigor- 
ous plant, climbing widely by means of numerous branched tendrils. 
The leaves are strongly three-angled or lobed, with the broadly cor- 
date base also showing two or four sharp corners. The leaves as they 
stand in nature (PI. I) are deeply concave, with the apex sharply 
decurved. The surface is rather rough, but there are scarcely any 
hairs, and the color is a deep, fresh green. The whitish veins are 
rather conspicuous. 

The pistillate flowers are solitary, l)ut otherwise not greatly differ- 
ent in general appearance from the much more numerous staminate 
blossoms. The latter are borne on special branches, which Lowe' 



' A Manual of the Flora of Madeira, p. 292. (London, 18G8.) 



Bui. 28, Div. of Botany, Deot. of Agr. 



Plate II. 




k 






/ 





Sections of Chayote Fruit. 



BOTANICAL KELATIONSHIPS. ^ 

clescu'ibos as "sliort whoi'led, long-stalked, axillary racemes," though 
it is not clear that thej^ are either racemes or whorled, the actual 
structure, as shown in the illustration, consisting merely of single 
small clustei-s at the nodes of a shortened and leafless, but otherwise 
not greatly modified, branch. Both filaments and styles are connate 
into a central column, of which the anthers appear as lobes, while the 
stigmas are more closely set together to form a small head, which 
Lowe compares to a small fungus. 

Tile ovary is always one-celled, with a single ovule. It is meah- 
pub<'scent when young, becoming spiny with maturity in some vari- 
eties. The mature fruits are always more or less compressed, as 
1 liougli ])uilt over the large flat seed. They are also, in general, pear- 
shaped, in that they are narrower near the point of attachment and 
broader toward the apex, but with many differences of p)'0}_ortion, as 
shown later in the descriptions of the Porto Rican varieties. In 
addition to the spines, which, howevei-, are not always present, the 
surface of the fruit is usually more or less uneven, and has, in addi- 
tion, several deep longitudinal grooves or channels, more pronounced 
toward the ends, and in some varieties nearly obliterated near the 
middle. 

The chayote is one of several plants cultivated b}' the aborigines of 
tropical America wliich are not known in the wild state, an indication 
of the extreme antiquity of agricultural peoples in the Western Hemi- 
sphere, whether we believe that culture has so modified the domesti- 
cated plants that their generic affinities are no longer apparent or 
that the wild types have become extinct. In the case of the chayote 
the derivation from the wild plant named Microsechium by Naudin 
is perhaps most worthy of consideration, since this genus has a fleshy 
fruit and tuberous roots. The fruits are, however, very small, and 
the floral charactei's are so distinct from those of Sechium that in 
Engler and Prantl's NaturlichenPjianzenfamiUeu it is placed at some 
distance from that genus and is associated instead with Sicyos, to 
which the external resemblance is \evy great. 

The genus Sechium is treated by all recent botanists as monotypic, 
containing the single species S. edule. Of other names listed under 
Sechium, S. americanum Lamarck and 8. chayota Hemslej^ are syno- 
nyms of S. edule, and the remainder are referred to tlie genera Ca3'a- 
ponia and Microsechium. 

VITALITY OF THE FRUIT. 

The fruit of the chayote presents physiological and morphological 
adaptations apparently unique; it is comparable, perhaps, with that 
of the mangrove (Rhizophora), though the similarity extends only to 
the fact that germination may take place before the seed falls from 
the pan'ut plant. The fruit of the mangrove is adapted for taking 



10 THE chayotk: a tropical vegktahlk. 

i-ool ill the soil 11111(1, into wliicli it penetrates ))y iiieHiis of tlie loiii^", 
pointed i-iidicrU^ but in llie cluiyote, wliieli iiiust fall upon drier ground, 
a project inu' rndiele would Ix' hi-okcn oil". Instead, therefore, of put- 
liiii;' forth a radiehr, tln^ ai)ex of the nialurc seed is extruded from tlie 
fruit only far euouuii to exjxise the ti[) of the hyi)oeotyl, from wliieli 
arises a tuft of small roots (PI. II). The plumule (^scapes latei'ally 
from between the cotyledons, which are not. furtlier drawn out or sep- 
arated from the fruit., and the; latter, instead of drying- u[) oi- decajing 
at maturity, or before^ the germination of the seed, continues green 
and fleshy for an iiKh^tinite jxM-iod, <h)ul)tless supplying, and perhaps 
(>ven elalxn'ating, nutriment for the young plant. Lowe says that the 
fruit, aft(u- the g(^rmination of the sccmI, "enlarges into a pei-sistent 
subaerial rhizome,"" a morphological impossibility, of course, bnt a 
suflicient indication tlnit that talented botanist observed the present 
anomaly. Rel^nng, perhaps, on Lowe's statement regarding the rhi- 
zome. Dr. Morris' also ai)pears to have combined the persistent fruit 
with the tuberous roots. ''It is easily propagated," he says, "by 
planting the whoh^ fruit, which, after germination of the seed, gives 
ris(^ to a persistent amorphous rhizoiiK^ of a woody oi- a fibrous- fleshy 
character." 

The relations bet ween these two features are, however, by no means 
settled, and the Australian writer who reports in the second season 
a large tuber "somewhat jelly-like in appearance" seems to afford 
a suggestion favorable to the opinicjii that the fruit becomes the 
"tuber" oi- "rliizome." 

That such an adaptation sln)uld arise in the Cucurbitaceae is even 
more strange than it would have appeared in man}' other families, 
owing to the well-known perishability, or at least limited vitality, of 
the fruits of this group. The ehayote constitutes, as it were, the 
antithesis of the balsam-apple (Momordica), the flesh of which opens 
and begins to disintegrate, almost by deliquescence, as soon as the 
apical seeds have matured, and while those at the base of th<' fiuit 
are still far from ri[)e. 

THE SEED AND (;ERMINATI()N. 

The ehayote further deviates from the normal type of the Cucurbi- 
taceae in its one-seeded character, and in the fact that the seed coats 
are obsolete or very imperfectly differentiated. At maturity the seed 
is embedded in the middle of the fruit and entirely enclosed, as shown 
by the axial section (PI. Ill); but before germination the seed grows 
so that the apex of the cotjdedons is pushed farther toward the base 
of the fruit, while the hypoeotyl emerges from the apex and gives 
rise to several rootlets. As if to permit the seed to gi-ow without push- 
ing itself too far out of the fruit, the tissue about the edges of the 



Kew Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, p. 7, August, 1887. 



Bui. 28, Div. of Botany, Dept. of Agr. 



Plate III 




Chayote Fruits, Round White Variety. 



I'ECULIAUITIES OF THE SEEL). 11 

cotyledons is very loose and spongy, and m some specimens a cavity 
is formed. In the midUle of the outer faces of tlie cotyledons, how- 
ever, there is a considerable surface, representing the original area of 
the seed, which remains closely in contact with tlie fleshy and undif- 
ferentiated seed coats. It is in this area of the cotyledons, presuma- 
bly, that the absorption of the nuti-itive material from the fruit into 
the seedling takes place. As already noted, the seed coats are unde- 
veloped ; but this deficiency is not to be interpreted merely as a failure 
to supply a protection which is not needed by a seed which never 
leaves the inclosing fruit. A more direct cause for the deficient seed 
coats is probably to be found in the fact that firmer and less i)ervious 
tissues would interfere with the passage of liquids fi-om the fleshy fruit 
to the cotyledons. 

In the chayote, then, we seem to have a whole fruit functioning 
as endosperm during an extended period in which it is capable of 
general vegetative activity. Possibly, however, the nutritive aspect 
of its utility may be equaled or even exceeded by its importance as a 
means of storing moisture to assist in carrying tlie young plant 
through periods of drought to which the native locality of the species 
may liave been subject. The lai'ge tuberous roots wliich meet this 
requirement for the more mature plant are said not to be formed until 
the second season. A third possible advantage also suggests itself; 
namely, that by being able to send out without d(day a vine several 
feet long, seedlings of the chayote might l)e able to make connection 
with the soil without the seed or fruit having come in contact with 
the ground at all. Such an adaptation would be of obvious utility 
in permitting a large-fruited species to maintain an existence where 
the ground is covered with tangled masses of vegetation wliich in 
tropical countries often conceal, in turn, a considerable la^^er of dead 
sticks and stems. Botanists who have the opportunity of studying 
the chayote or its near relatives in the wild state, or of experimenting 
with tlie germination of their seeds, may accordingly expect to estab- 
lish the existence of some int,eresting details of its growth. 

It is often forgotten that tlie keeping qualities of fieshy fruits and 
vegetables are dependent upon the vitality of the protoplasm of the 
cells, decay and death being practically synonymous terms in dealing 
with all such tissues. Many fruits can be k(q)t for considerable 
periods under favorable conditions and the time can be artificially 
extended by cold storage. In nature, however, the chayot(^ seems to 
furnish the only instance of a fruit whicli normally continues alive 
after the germination of tlie contained seed and after separation from 
the parent plant. 

The readiness with which the seed of the chayote gei-minates will 
probably be the only obstacle to its exploitation as a commercial 
I^roduct. What determines the germination is not known, and it 
may be found that if kept sufficiently dry and cool there will be no 



12 THE chayote: a tropical vegp:tahle. 

difficulty from this source. In Mexico, according to Dr. Edward 
Palmer, it is considered an easy matter to preservH^ the fruits indefi- 
nitely by packing' them in dry sand. It is customary to allow the 
seeds to germinate before j^lanting, the fruits being placed for this 
purpose on the shelves of living rooms or in other sheltered places. 
About New Orleans a similar practice is followed, fruits kept foi- 
planting being wra[)pe(l in papei- and laid away in cool dark cellars or 
storerooms during the winter. Chayotes shipped from Algeria to the 
markets of Paris and London are said to bear shipment well, even 
when eight or ten days on the journey,^ and to remain for.a long time 
iu good condition. 

varieties op the chayote. 

Two varieties of SecJiiu-m edide, the one with green and the other 
with white fruits, are mentioned in various publications. It has also 
been stated by. Lowe that the flowers of the two varieties are colored 
like the fruits and that the white or cream-colored sorts have both 
flowers and fruits larger than those of the green. This may be true 
for Madeira, but in Porto Rico there are several varieties, one of the 
white kinds being as small t^s any of the green, but whether floral dif- 
ferences accompany those of the fruit was not ascertained. Neither 
has the question of the comparative excellence of the varieties been 
satisfactorily investigated. Most experimenters have had but one or 
two sorts under observation. Of two varieties grown in Madeira, the 
cream-colored or white variety is described as larger and "better 
looking, but not so good " as th(^ light gi'een. Though not ii; Mitioned 
by Lowe, a smooth variety fi-om Madeira has been flgui-ed and 
described by Berkeley.^ 

According to Macfadyen a Jamaican wliite variety is esteemed "far 
the more delicate," l)ut there is nothing to indicate that the white fruit 
of Madeira resembles that of Jamaica in anything except color. In 
Porto Rico the two colors were al)out equally represented in the mar- 
kets, and we heard nothing of a discrimination as to quality, although 
differences in this regard in all probal)ilit3' exist. There is also 
nothing to indicate that the above opinions were based on comparative 
tests which took into account the fact that texture depends largely 
uj)on the relative maturity of the fruit. 

The fruits are all moi'e or less pear-shaped; one green variety is 
long and pointed, while a white sort is nearly spherical. The color 
is green in some varieties and white in others and the larger sorts are 
twice or three times the size of the smaller. The spines seem to be 
very variable in size and number, and varietal differences are to be 



' Dr. L. Trabut, Bulletin Agricole de I'Algerie et <le la Tunisie. L") October, 1900, 
p. 591. 

-Gardener's Chronicle and Agricultural txazette, January 21. ISfi.^, p. 51. From 
the figure it appears that this sort is similar to the Porto Rican variety here called 
"Round White." (PI. V.) 



Bui. 28, DIv. of Botany, Dept. of Agr 



Plate IV. 





Chayote Fruit, Long White Variety. 



j|. 28, Div. of Botany, Dept. of Agr, 



Plate V. 




Chayote Fruits, Pointed Green Variety. 



PORTO RICAN VARIETIES. 13 

indicated by form and color rather tiian by reference to the spines. 
Thus the writer found in Porto Rican markets at least Ave varieties 
of chayote, which may be designated as follows: 

Round White. — (PI. III.) Small, siibsphericjil ; the skin white and uniisnally 
even; spines ob.-^olete or nearly so. 

Long Wliite. — (PI. IV.) The largest of the Porto Rican varieties, though small 
fruits are sometimf^s met with. The shape is oblong-pyriform, with the ridges 
numerous and very prominent, especially toward the lai'ger (apical) end. The 
surface is distinctly wrinkled: spines are often present, especially on smaller and 
broader specimens, the largest and finest examples being generally unarmed. 
Reduced figures of four fruits of this variety are shown in PI. VI, three in the 
upper left-hand and one in the upper right-hand corner. 

Pointed Green. — (PI. \^.) A small deep green variety, with the surface finely 
warted or granulate: smooth or with a few small spines. A majority of the fruits 
seen had the basal end produced into a long conical or somewhat curved point. 
The ridges and grooves ;ire less pronounc^'d than in any other sort. The size is 
smaller than in any except the Round White, and the variety is also readily dis- 
tinguished from the Broad Green and Oval Green by the narrower outline and the 
granular surface. Five reduced figures of this varietj' are shown in PI. VI, four 
near the middle of the plate and one at the right. 

Broad. Green. — Of larger size than the Pointed Green: not ])ointed at the basal 
end, but xmusually prominent at the apex, thus bringing the great- st diameter 
only a little beyond the middle. The grooves and ridges are slightly more pro- 
nounced than in \he Pointed Green, but the general surface is much more 
uneven and is usually provided with distinct spines, though smooth specimens are 
not infrequent. The size is exceeded only in exceptional specimens of the Leng 
White. The pronounced thickening about the middle and the subrectangular 
prominence of the apex are the most characteristic features. Three reduced fig- 
ures are shown in the lower part of PI. VI. 

Oval Great. — CP]. VII.) Nearly equal to the Broad Green in size: differing in 
the oval outline, less narrowed at the ends, and less expanded in the middle. The 
grooves and ridges are much more pronounced than in the other green varieties. 
The surface is somewhat granular, but less so than in the Pointed Green. Spines 
were not observed. 

Of the Oval (ireen variety only smootli fruits wei-e seen, Init of all 
the others both rouiili and smootli forms were common. Although 
the si)ines are weak and fleshy and not able to puncture the skin oi- 
cause discomfort in handling the fruit, the smooth varieties are prob- 
ably more desi!-able for market cultivation, since the spines are fi-e- 
qiientl}' bruised and broken in transportation and thus injure the 
appearance of th(^ fi-uit if they do not indirectly induce decay. 
External bruises discolor more upon the white than upon the green 
fruits, but, on the other hand, the white chayote in good condition 
appears more delicate and appetizing than the green, and this sui^e- 
rior appearance might easily give it an advantage in the market. 

HISTORY AND NAMES. 
ORIGIN. 

The first Kui-opean account of the chayote was pr()l)ably that of 
Francisco Hernandez, who spent seven years in Mexico in the lifth and 



14 THE CHAVOTK: a TROl'ICAL VEOETABLE. 

sixth (lecados of tlio sixteentli ceiituiy, and prepared voluminous Lat in 
descriptions of the country, its people, and natural liistoiy. An ex- 
ccT'pt of tlu^ medical ijlants, edited by Recchus, was published in Rome 
iu 1651,' but th' note on the chayote was omitted and seems not to 
have been printed until the issue of the more complete edition of the 
works of lleriumdc/, which appeared at Madrid in 17!)0.~ 

ON THE CHAVOTLI, OH PLANT BEAUINCi FHUrr LUvE HKDOEHO(iS. 

This is a twinina; genus common in gardens and cultivafed jilaces, and adapted 
for creeping. It makes a large oval fruit, consisting of a smooth skin and inchid- 
ing a sort of acorn, ahnond, or bean. Stems long, slender, clinging with tendrils: 
leaves angled at intervals and somewhat similar to those of the grape or the gourd. 
The fruit is eaten cooked and is everywhere^ for sale in markets. The interior bean 
resembles in taste cooked acorns, the rest something marine, such as roasted oys- 
ters, although cooked they seem to suggest also sweet potatoes or chestnuts. 
Neither is there anything at all injurious or unpleasant for food, nor is there any 
other use accustomed to be made of this plant, as far as I have been able to ascer- 
tain. It grows in temi)erate and warm localities, such as C^uauhuahuac. ■ 

This statenuMit by one of the earliest and most i-cliable of the Si)an- 
ish writers on Mexico establishes the fact that the chayote was in 
common use and cultivation among the ancient Aztecs. De Candolle 
seems not to have known of the existence of this edition of Hernandez 
or 'he would not have referred in doubtful terms to Seeman's correct 
statement regarding the origin of the name.' 

Seeman saw the plant cultivated at Panama, and he adds a remark, important 
if correct, namely, that the name chayoie. common in the isthmus, is the corrup- 
tion of an Aztec word vhai/otl. This is an indication ot an ancient existence in 
Mexico, but I do noi; find the word in Hernandez, the classic author on the Mexi- 
can plants anterior to the iSpanish concjuest. ' 

During the two centuries in which the account of llei'iiandez 
remained in nuinuscript the chayote was reported by other writers. 
In 1750 Patrick Browne gives the following account of its cultivation 
in Jamaica, vviiere it had pi'obably been inti'oduccd from MexicMj by 
the Spaniards, though not mentioned by Sloane in KJ.Sl): 

This plant is now cultivated in many places in Jamnica, and grows very luxuri- 
antly in all parts of the island, especially in the cooler'mountains, where the vines 
are always observed to run and spread very much. The fruit is sometimes boiled 
and served up at table by way of green, in which state it is generally looked upon 
as wholesome and refreshing, but it is too insipid to be much liked. The app es 
serve to fatten the iiogs in the mountains and inland parts, where the plant is 
mostl}' cultivated.'" 

The origin of the West Indian name, "chocho," seems not to have 
l)een satisfactorily traced to any aboriginal people, and De Candolle's 



' Rerum Medicarum Novpe Hispaniae Thesaurus. 

- De Historia Plantarum Novae Hispaniae. 

■'Op. cit., vol. l,p. 108. 

■* Botany of the Herald, pp. 73 and 138. 

■• De Candolle, Origin of Cultivated Plants, p. 374. (London, 1886.) 

''The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica, ed. 3, p. 355. (1789.) 



EARLY ACCOUNTS. 15 

Sill-mist' tliat it m;iy be merely a coiTupLion of tlic Mexican word is 
perliaps correct. The exclusive use of the form "taj^ote" in Porto 
Rico seems at once an evidence of its foreign origin and of its early 
introduction, since the aborigines of Porto Rico seem to have been 
more advanced than those of the neighboring ishmds and tlie native 
names are better preserved. 

According to Jacquin^ the chayote was in daily use on the tables of 
the Cubans of the eighteenth century as an ingredient in soups, stews, 
and other dishes. Two varieties were also noted, the more common, 
about 4 inches long and more or less spiny, being called simply "cha- 
yote," wliile a smooth variety about the size of a hen's eiiin;, and much 
less commonly grown, was called "cha^^ote frances" or French cha- 
yote. Jacquin was of tlie opinion that the chayote was native as w^ell 
as generally cultivated in Cuba, but it is not included in Maza's 
"Flora Cubana," and in that author's "Diccionario liotanico" the 
name chayote is referred to only in the combinations " Cliayote bianco" 
and " Chayote frances," both of which were said to be applied to the 
sponge gourd {Luffa acutanguUi), the long, cucumber-like fruit of 
which could not have been the "Chayote frances" of Jacquin. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

Ever since the Spaniards and English made tlu^ acquaintance of this 
plant in Mexico and the West Indies its culture has been slowly 
extending; at pjesent it is known throughout tropical America, and 
it has long been established in Madeira,^ wliere English travelers often 
have become acquainted with it. The Kew Gardens have within the 
last two decades sent it to many points in British India and other 
tropical and subtropical colonies, including St. Helena. It has been 
know^n for several decades in gardens in Southern Europe and North 
Africa. The chayote has also been grown for many years in Cali- 
fornia, and in a limited area around New Orleans, and efforts were 
made by this Department in 18'.»9 to introduce it into Florida. It 
may also be found of use in southern Texas. 

In Algeria and Australia the chayote has received recent and very 
fav()ral)le attention, and bids fair to become very soon of recognized 
commercial imijortance, and as these are also the most civilized and 
actively progressive regions into which it has been introduced in the 
Old Woi-ld, the suggestion is strengthened that it may be found 

•'■ Selectarum Stirpium Americanarum Historia, p. 258, /. in.:. (1763). The plate 
shows a spiny fruit, proportionally longer and more elliptic than those tigured 
here from Porto Rico. 

^According to M. Naudin (Revue Horticole, 1886, 16) the chayote has also been 
introduced into the Azores, whence fruits have been sent to England. Why 
the plant should become popular in the Portuguese Atlantic islands, and yet 
remain unknown in the Spanish Canaries, which Jire in much more direct com- 
munication with Mexico and the West Indies, seems not to have been explained. 



16 THE chayote: a tropical vegetable. 

worthy of serious attention in l*orto Rico, where it is already i)oi>uhir 
as a domestic article of food. 

There is also every indication that the chayote would Ik^ a valuable 
accession to the economic plants of Hawaii and the Philippines. 
Hillebrand's Flora of Hawaii (1888) does not mention -1 he chayote, 
and the Spaniards are not known to have introduced it into the 
Philippines, one of several indications that in spite of the formerly 
extensive intercourse between those islands and Mexico there was no 
very serious or sustained attempt at plant introduction. Hpecies 
which could be propagated easily from seed were exchanged; but in 
many tropical plants the seeds are short-lived, while in others superior 
varieties can be grown onlj' from cuttings. Only a few of the very 
numerous East Indian varieties of the banana, for example, appear 
to have reached Spanish America. 

According to Professor Wickson's "California Fruits," the chayote 
was introduced into California from Samoa and was gi-own first at 
Santa Barbara. Apparently the variety differs from that recorded 
from other parts of the world, since the raw fruits are said to resemble 
the chestnut in flavor and to attain a weight of "over 3 pounds." 
The correctness of this reputed origin is also rendered doubtful by 
the fact that Reinecke^ does not include Sechium in his list of the 
plants of Samoa, and that Seeman does not record it from Fiji or from 
any of the islands of the Pacific. It seems much more probable that 
the chayote reached California direct from Mexico. 

In 1899 an attempt was made by the Department of Agriculture to 
introduce the chayote into Florida by means of a small number of 
fruits grown in Algeria and sent from France by Mr. Walter T. 
Swingle. When these an-ived in Washington in January many of 
the seeds had already sprouted and the remainder were mailed at 
once to Florida correspondents of the Section of Seed and IMant 
Introduction. The reports indicaU^ that most of the young plants 
were killed by the freezing weather of Fel)ruary of that yeai-, and 
that the few which survived the cold were not sufficiently well estab- 
lished to withstand a period of liot, dry weather which came later in 
the season. At Miami one plant survived long enough to i)roduce a 
fruit, but the seed of this failed to germinate. The failure of this 
experiment seems to indicate that winter and spring are unfavorable 
seasons for planting the chayote in Florida. Summer or fall planting 
might afford better conditions, though in a normal season there might 
have been no serious difficulty with the former importation. It would 
now be possible to obtain seed from Porto Rico much more quickly 
than from Algeria, and it seems quite worth while 1,o continue the 
Florida experiment until decisive results can be obtained. The fact 
that the chayote grows in Louisiana shows that the heat of Florida is 
sufficient, though there may be other difficulties of climate or soil. 

'Dr. F. Reinecke. Die Flora der Samoa-Inseln. Engler'sBot. Jafirb., vol. 23, pp. 
237 to 3GS; vol. 25, pp. 578 to 708 (1S'J8). 



Bui. 28, Div. of Botany, Dept. of Agr, 



Plate VI 




Chayote Fruits, several Varieties. 



NAMES OF THE CHAYOTE. 17 

COMMON NAMES. 

Although not very widely (listributed until recent times, the chayote 
has a considerable number of more or less localized common names. 
The reason why so many should have been originated is not obvious, 
unless it be that the necessarily slow and gradual introduction in new 
communities has f>ermitted the old name to be forgotten before the 
fruit had obtained standing in the markets and thus required a popu- 
lar designation. To ti-avelers and residents in tropical countries 
these local names are not withovit interest, and a list of those now avail- 
able is given herewith. 

List of coniiii.ou names. 

Cahiota: Recorded in Lowe's "Flora of Madeira." 

Camochayote; a Mexican name for the edible root of the chayote. 

Chahiota: Another Madeira name. 

Challote: Recorded by Seemau from the Isthmus of Panama. In a subseiiuent 
mention the more correct form, chayote. is used. 

Chayota: a West Indian form of the following, used by .Tac(]uin and others. 

Chayote: The modem Mexican and now generally preferalde name, of which 
several others are mere corruptions. 

Chayote fraxces: According to Jaccjuin. this name was applied in Cuba to a 
small, smooth variety of the chayote, Imt Maza associates it with the ^^ponge 
gourd (Luff a). 

Chayote pelon: A Mexican name, evidently for a smooth variety, '■ pelon " mean- 
ing "bald." 

Chayotestle: a Mexican name for the edible root of the chayote. 

Chayotito: a Mexican name for a variety of chayote (Herrera). 

Chayotito gachupin: a Mexican variety of chayote; " gachupin " means "fine" 
or "elegant." 

Chayotli: The ancient Aztec name as recorded by Hernandez in the sixteenth 
century. The word is said to signify a "head bristling with spines," or a 
" squash covered with thorns." 

Chinchayote: a Mexican name for the edible root of the chayote. 

Chiotie: Used in Belt's " Naturalist in Nicaragua." 

Chocho: The prevalent name in the British 'West Indies and in Australia. 

Choko: a Queensland variation of the preceding. 

Chouchou: Recorded by Mr. Fairchild as in use among the Creoles of Louisiana. 

Chouchoute: From the French colonies, particularly Reunion; evidently a com- 
promise between the preceding and "chayote." 

Chowcho.v: An English rendering of chouchou. 

Curistophine: Reported from the French West Indies and from France (Bois). 

Chuchu: The Brazilian name; evidently a further corruption of "chocho." 

Mirliton: In use among the Creole population of Louisiana- 

One-seeded Cucumber: Apparently invented by the English-speaking residents 
of New Orleans. 

Pepinella: Madeira (Lowe). 

Tallote: Known only from Porto Rico; evidently an error for the following. 

Tayote: The Porto Rican modification of the name chayote; apparently indicat- 
ing that the plant was introduced from Mexico. 

Upopo: a Mexican variety of chayote (Herrera). 

Vegetable Pear: British 'West Indies (Grisebach). 

4230— No. 28—01 2 



18 THE CHAYOTE: a TRonOAL VEGETABLE. 

SCIENTIFIC NAME. 

The lirsl botanical name known to liave been applied lo t he cliayote 
under tln^ binomial system of nomenclature was Sicyos edulis, used 
by Jacquin' in 1760. In 1780 the same author gave the plant recog- 
nition as constituting a genus, and called it by the Latinized form of 
the nati\'e name, Chayofa edulifi.- Twenty years afterwards Swartz^ 
took up the generic name Sechium, proposed by Patrick Browne in 
1756,^ but not employed under the binomial sj^stem until the time of 
Swartz. There appeai-s to be no formulated rule of botanical nomen- 
clature directly calculated to meet such a case. Some botanists would 
probably hold that the more common use of Swartz's binomial Sec/iiniii 
edule should assure it permanent standing; others would restore 
Jacciuin's name as the oldest acceptable binomial designation, while 
still a third opinion would favor Sechium simplj'^ because older as a 
generic name than Chayota, without regard to the binomial system. 
In 17()o Adanson^ had also proposed to replace Brown's name Sechium 
with the vernacular Chocho, but C'hocho has never been used else- 
where as a scientific name or as part of a binomial, and it is scarcely 
probable that anybody would now wish to take it up. 

GROWING AND MARKETING. 

CULTIVATION. 

When grown under ordinary garden conditions the cultural require- 
ments of the cliayote may be said to be two in number: A some- 
what sheltered situation and something to climb upon. While the 
vine will not refuse to grow without these advantages, the results 
will not be satisfactory. Like many climbing plants, the cliayote is 
very susceptible to injury from the wind, while, unlike many Cucur- 
bitaceae, it does not seem to take kindly to creeping upon the ground, 
at least in the Tropics. In the different parts of the world the cliayote 
has been found to grow upon a great variety of soils, though it is gen- 
erally considered to thrive best in a loose sandj^ or loamy substratum, 
providing sufficient humus or other fertilizing material be at hand. 

Although it has lieen found possible to secure plants from the seed 
when jilanted alone, or even from the embryo when carefully extracted 
from its seed coats,'' it is the universal practice to plant the entire 

' Enum. PI. Carib., p. 32; Select. Stirp. Am. Hist., p. 258. 1763. 

-Select. Stirp. Am. Hist., ed. pict.. /. ..'4'> (1780). This binomial was used a sec- 
ond time in 178S in the Nuremberg- edition of Jacquin entitled "Amerikanische 
GewJichse nach Linneische Ordnung.' PI. 280. 

^Flora Ind. Occ, vol. 2, p. 1150. 1800. 

*Civ. and Nat. Hist. Jamaica, p. 355. 1756. 

■■•Famille.s des Plantes. vol. 2, p. 500. 1763. 

"Dr. L. Trabut, '• La Chayote," Alger. 1893, p. 2. The same account is republished 
in the Bulletin Agricole de TAlgerie at de la Tunisie, 15th Nov., lUOO, pp. 617 to 
623. 



METHODS OF PLANTING. 19 

fruiti, thus insuriu,i;- iiiucli luoi-c vapid and viiioroiis growth, to say 
nothiiiii' of the advantaiies of the peculiai- ada])tation of tlie fruit to 
the starting" of the plant already de«e»-il)ed. 

In Mexico, according to the information afforded by llerrei'a,' the 
fruits are harvested in October, well-matured s])ecimens being saved 
for seed and laid away on shelves, where they soon l)egin to germi- 
nate. Sowing takes place abont the beginning of Febi-uary. Some- 
times the seeds are taken out of the fruits and wi-apped in hair to 
protect them from insects. The first fruits ai-e o])tained in August; 
the tubers not until December- or January of the second year. 

In some localities in British India the cijiayote has not succeeded 
well, i)articularly at low elevations, where the moisture was excessive. 
It is claimed, however, by Mr. Noch, superintendent of the Ilakgala 
Gardens, that with proper care the vine can be made to thrive even 
where the naturjil conditions are unfavorable."- 

As it is the first that has been grown in this country, it may be useful il I state 
the best way of cultivating it. It thrives best in a rich, deep, well-drained soil, 
but may be made to grow anywhere by preparing the site iti the following man- 
ner: Make a hole 4 or 5 feet in diameter and is inches to ;5 feet deep, according to 
the subsoil If the subsoil is good and free you may go to the depth of 8 feet, but 
if it is clayey or likely to hold water 18 inches will be quite deep enough. Placea 
layer of rough stones at the bottom of the hole to a depth of B to U itiches for drain- 
age, and over this a few inches deep of small twigs or half-rotted leaves to prevent 
the fine soil from getting between the stones and choking the drainage. The hole 
may be tilled with the iollovving compost: ()ne-third ordinary garden soil, one- 
third half-rotted cattle or stable manure (cattle manure preferred for hot sandy 
soils and stable manure for cold clayey soils), and the remaining third maybe 
formed of leaf mold. sand, wood ashes, lime, and the sweepings of the poultry 
yard in about equal portions. When the hole has only been taken out about is 
inches deep it will be necessary to raise the soil IS inches above the ground; indeed, 
in every case, except in very dry districts, it is best to raise it. The whole fruit, 
which is set out in a germinated state, must be ])lanted about 8 inches deep in tiie 
center of the hole. It begins to grow at once, and in a week or ten days it will 
have made a good start. It is a creeper, and each jilant will require a space of 
about 20 feet square. 

As noted in the discussion of the moriihology of the seed it is prol)a- 
ble that in nature the fiuit normally falls large end down, thus per- 
mitting the roots of the seedling to be pushed into the ground, while 
the young vine issues from between the cotyledons at the side. It is 
thus not necessary that the fruit should be buried in the earth at all, 
and in Mexico it seems to be the custom not to plant until after the 
seed has germinated. No experiments seem to have been made to 
determine the best method of planting or whether it is desirable for 
the fruit to be covered with eartli or not. Apparently on the analogy 
of seeds of the other Cucurljitaceae, several writers have advised 
burying under a shallow layer (2 inches or less) of soil, and this plan 



' La Naturaleza, vol,l, p. 386 (1870). 
Kew Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, p. S, August, 1887. 



20 THE chayotk: a tropical vp:getahlk. 

may have at least tlie advantage of affordiiii;' conceal iiiciit and pro- 
tection against injuiy from animals or fi-om other eanses. 

Althongli a tropical perennial, tlie culture of the chayote is b}^ no 
means lijnited to fi-ostless regions; it may be grown in the open air 
wherever the soil is not frozen in winter, and, with protection of the 
root, even outside the subtropical belt. The vine is sensitive to cold 
and dies away at the approac^h of winter, but the reserve material 
stored in the large fleshy root enables rapid growth to be made as 
soon as conditions are again favorable. By germinating tlui seed in a 
greenhouse or cold frame in March and transplanting when danger of 
frost is i)ast it is said that^ good growth can be secured the first sea- 
son, and thirty fruits or more are sometimes obtained from each vine 
with five months of favorable weather. Unless such measures are 
taken to gain time fruiting may be deferred until the second season. 
It has pi'oved impracticable to i-aise tlie chayote in centi-al France, 
but ill the southern part of that country, as well as in Algeria, il is 
rapidly increasing in popularity. 

FREEDOM FROM DISEASES AND INSECTS. 

There seems to be no record of the chayote having been alfected 
by any fungous disease or attacked by an insecii parasite. It may be 
that the i)lant is sufliciently different to be immnne from the nunier- 
ons injuries to which other Chicurbitaceae are subject, and if this 
proves to be the case the chayote will have a distinct advantage as an 
exceptionally safe crop. 

YIELD AND PRICES. 

The chayote has often been described as a vigorous growei- ami a 
prolific bearer, but few definite records of production have been pub- 
lished. In New South Wales a vine planted in February commenced 
flowering in May, but was killed down by cold weather and did not 
resume growth until August, when it sprouted from the root and by 
January had covere<l about 50 feet of a fence (J feet higli. From the 
end of February to June three or four dozen fruits per week were 
taken, or about 500 fruits for the season of three months, and this for 
the first year of bearing. As the perennial root continues to increase 
in size the plant may well have been larger in subse<iuent seasons, 
and one observer claims to have counted 300 fruits on a single vine. 
At an average of 8 ounces apiece these would weigh 150 pounds, and 
as this yield is many times repeated, it becomes evident that the 
chayote is one of the most prolific of herbaceous plants, more than 
making up in numbers what its fruits lack in size in comparison with 
the larger Cucurbitaceae. 

In Algeria Trabut states the usual yield as from 25 to 100 fruits per 
plant, lie also gives an estimate by Naudin to the effect that a liec- 



Bui. 28, Div. of Botany, Dept. of Agr. 



Plate VII. 





Chayote Fruits, Oval Green Variety. 



MARK'Prr PRICKS. 21 

taj-e should under good cultivation produce as many as 120,000 t'i'uits, 
an equivalent of nearly 50,()()0 per acre with an average weight of 
over a pound each. Dr. Trabut also reckons that in the market gar- 
de s of Algeria chayotes can be pi-oduced profitably at 15 francs per 
hundred kilos or less than 1^ c«>nts per pound, about equal to tlie 
price for whicli they are sold at retail in the markets of Poi'to Rico. 
Tracked, shipped, and delivei-ed in the markets of Paris, Algerian 
chayotes can be fui'nishe(l ;ill winter at from oO to 50 fi-an(^s per iiun- 
dred kilos, the shi))})ing (wpenses being very fr('(|ueiitly more than 
the oiiginal valuer of the fruit. 

According to I)i'. Edward Palmer the chayote is considered a deli- 
cacy at Saltillo, Mexico, wheri^ on account of frosts it is necessary to 
I)rotect the roots by extra covering in winter. The market price (5 
cents) is accordingly' much higher than at Guadalajara and the City 
of Mexico, where the roots, resembling those of yams and large vari- 
eties of cassava, but of better quality, are also commonly on sale. In 
digging tlie i-oots the plants are not destroyed, only one or two of the 
larger roots being taken at a time. Ilerrera seems to imply that in 
Mexico each plant bears annually from 80 to 100 fruits, and from 20 
to 25 kilograms of roots, but does not indicate the locality in which 
the record was made. IJelt ' states that in Nicaragua the chayote vine 
is very prolific and bears for (Mght months of the year. 

In Louisiana the chaj-ote, or as it is there called, the mii'liton, has 
pi'obably been grown for many years, tiiough its cultivation and use 
are limited mostly to the Creole population of tlu^ imm(Hliate vicinity 
of New Orleans and occasional neigh l)ors who have chanced to become 
acquainted with it. Mr. David G. Fairchild who nuide in<[uiries on 
the sul)ject in December, 1 SOS, found that mirlitons were being sold 
in the French market of New Orleans at 15 cents apiece, a price whicli 
certainly would not be p'lid were not the chayote considered a table 
delicacy superior to the vegetal)le marrow. At any such price the 
culture of the chayote would certainly be most profitable, even in 
Louisiana, where only 30 to 35 fruits are expected from each vine. 
Two varieties are known about New Orleans, a darker and a lighter 
green; green specimens only wei-e sent to Washington by Mr. Fair- 
child, and those were much more spiny than any seen in Porto Rico. 

At the time of the writer's visit in the latter part of 189!) the chay- 
ote was one of the more important vegetables in the markets of the 
cities of Porto Rico. That it is a staple article which can be produced 
readily and in any quantity was apparent from the fact that while 
nearly all other kinds of farm produce were bringing high prices by 
United States standards three chayote fruits wei'e being sold for 5 
centavos, or for a cent apiece in our money. If the New Orleans 
demand were sufficiently extensive importing chayotes from Porto 



' Naturalist in Nicaragua, pp. (>(>, (i7. 



22 THE chayote: a tropical vegetable. 

Rico would he jjrofitable. Such a trade has recently become feasible 
throiiii'h the opening of direct coinninnication by steamer fi-om San 
Juan to New Orleans. 

MAKKETIN(4 THE FRUIT. 

As miglit be inferred from the tact that the fruit of the chayote 
retains its vitality long after the young plant has gerininated, there 
is likely to be little tendency to decaj' during transporlation if rea- 
sonable care be taken. The possible difficulty to be met is rather 
from the persistent tendency toward germination wherever sufficient 
moisture and heat are obtainable. The Algeriari fruits imported by 
way of France by this Department showed no signs of decay, but 
many had germinated, owing to dampness and deficient ventilation 
of the packages. Under similar conditions almost any other fruit or 
vegetable would have completely rotted, so that the marketing qual 
ities of the chayote may be expected to prove excellent wherever rea- 
sonable precautions are observed. The exceptional vitality of the 
tissues of the fruit undoubtedly protects them from the attacks of the 
fungi and bacteria which cause the early decay of fruits and vegeta- 
bles in transit and storage. It is not impossible, liowc^ver, that cau- 
tion may be found necessary in the application of cold storage to the 
chayote. since if the embryo or even the external cells of the fruit 
were killed rapid decay might ensue. The fruit of the cha3^ote, though 
provided Avith no hard or distinct rind, has a decidedly tough outer 
layer which gives it considei-able protection against accidental injury. 
Though bi-uises cause a superficial discoloration they do not seem to 
be followed b}' decay, and other wounds seem 1o heal readih'. 

USES OF THE CHAYOTE. 

THE FRUIT AS HUMAN FOOD. 

Of the value of the chayote for food purposes very different opin- 
ions have been expressed, some writers reporting it as insipid and 
scarcely edible, while othei-s have compared it with the vegetable 
marrow and pi-ouounced it supei'ior. Those who are fond of summer 
s(|uashes will probal)ly take kindly to the chayote, and others may 
prefer it on account of its better texture and more delicate flavor. 
Although firmer than the squash the Hesh is not tough or fibrous, and 
eaten simply with salt and pepper the chayote is an agreeable vege- 
table. A favorite method of j)reparing the chayote in Forto Rico is 
to cut it in halves and boil it, then remove the flesh from the exterior 
shell and chop it into small pieces with meat and vegetables, includ- 
ing the inevitable gailic or onion and other seasoning. The mixture 
is then returned to the empty shells and baked. The result is a rich 
and very palatable dish. With the addition of lime juice and sugar, 



USES OF THE FRUIT. 23 

or with an admixture of rhubarb or roselhi,' the stewed flesh is said 
to form an acceptable substitute for apple sauce; and lime juice is 
also used with the chayote when employed as a vegetable. In Jamaica 
the seeds, fried in butter, ai»e also eaten and pronounced "very good," 
but the wj-iter did not learn that this is customary in Porto Rico. In 
British India the chayote is said to have become popular as an ingre- 
dient of curries. The fruit is, by reason of its comparatively mild but 
pleasant flavor and good texture, one of those likely to find a place in 
the cuisine of almost any country, and wide utility as a tropical vege- 
table seems to be assured. 

Mr. W. T. Swingle, agricultural explorer of this Depai-tment, finds 
that considerable quantities of chayot<\s are now being imported fi'om 
Algeria to France, where they are largely used in making a substitute 
fovfonds tV artichaui; that is, the basal part or fleshy receptacle of 
the flower head of the true nvtichoke {Ci/iKint sc<)h/iin(,s),iin article 
much in demand for special dishes. It has been found that when 
properly cooked and seasoned the texture and flavor of the chayote 
permits it to replace the artichoke, if cut into disks so as to giv(^ the 
same external appearance. 

(;HAY()TK shoots as a substitute for ASPAKA(iUS. 

In Mexico the tender, rapid-growing spring shoots of the chayote 
are occasionally eaten cooked in the same way as asparagus. Although 
relished as a delicacy in this form, the plant is considered so valuable 
for its shade, fruits, and roots that the common people are seldom 
willing to injure or delay the growth of their vines by the removal of 
the shoots, the eating of which is thus confined to the haciendas of 
the more wealth}^ landowners, some of whom cultivate the chayote on 
a large scale. The fact that the plant is edible in this form is, how- 
ever, worthy of Jiotice, and may have importance in connection with 

' The so called Jamaica sorrel or rosella hemp is another kitchen -garden plant 
with which the tropical colonist Khonld not neglect to become ac(iuainted. It has 
long bten cultivated for the sake of its pleasantly arid tieshy calyx both in the 
East and West Indies. It has attained considerable popularity in Florida, and in 
Queensland is highly esteemed and extensively cultivated. To quote from Mr. 
Daniel Jones, of the Queensland Department of Agriculture (Quet nsland Agricul- 
tural Journal, May 1. 1900, pp. 371 , :JT4): 

"The rosella (Hibiscus sabdarifi'd) is one of our most valuable fruits. and, from 
the standpoint of the thrifty housekeeper, few edibles in the range of domestic 
cookery lend themselves more usefully to the stocking of a housewife's cupboard, 

" It is not commonly known that in the utilization of the choko, now fast becom- 
ing a popular vegetable, very pleasant tarts can be made by using that vegetable 
(Sechmni. cthile) in conjunction with the rosella. It is well known that many 
object to what they call the excessive tartness of the rosella. Using it in conjunc- 
tion with the choko this tartness is modified, and tends to make both these fruits 
more appetizing, in fact, rosellas are specially adapted for blending with less 
tart fruit, as they give a flavor to many fruits and vegetables which otherwise 
would liot be acceptable for table use." 



24 THE CHAYOTE: a TKOriOAL VEGETAHLE. 

tlie culture of the eluiyote as a rej^iilar ituu'ket ci'oj), since, if the qual- 
ity of the shoots is sufficiently hiyh, they will be in demand at special 
prices wherever tliei'e is ready access to 1 ropical cities, in the markets 
of which asparagus is seldom to be had. 

FRUITS AS FODDER. 

Since the time of Patrick lirowne' !lie value of llic cha>ote fruit as 
a fattening" food fo;- hogs has been recognized in Januiica, but l)eyoud 
the fact that it is sometimes planted for this purpose, the extent to 
which it is utilized for fodder in that island or elsewhere is not known. 
Notwithstanding the generally high prices of meat tlie raising of live 
stock for market usually receives but little attention in tropical coun- 
tries which do not afford abundance of natural pasturage, to which, 
when i^resent, no additions are deemed necessaiy. 

VINES FOR FORAGE AND FIBER. 

in connection with the use of superfluous fruits and tubei-s for feed- 
ing cattle and hogs, the fact should not be overlooked that the f.-esh 
vines and leaves are also relished b}^ live stock, so that no part of the 
chayote plant need be wasted. Whether it would pay to plant chayotes 
on a large scale foi- forage and fodder purposes is not known, but the 
possibility of thus utilizing the plant and its products would undoubt- 
edl}' be of incidental importance as a protection against loss to the 
grower, and affords another i-eason for believing that the chayote may 
become recognized as a staple crop in favorable regions of the Tropics. 

In Algeria it lias been found that the ripened vines of the chayote 
are sufficiently tough and fibrous to be used for fanc.y basket work, 
and in Paris the fibei's'^ are woven into ladies' hats, doubtless after 
special preparation . 

USES OF THE ROOT. 

In addition to its fruit the chayote produces large tuberous roots. 
These are said to form in Mexico in the second yeai-, and figure, as 
well as the fruits, among the farm products commonly sold in the 
markets. Their popularity is indicated by the existence of several 
names for the root, as distinguished from the fruit. 

The roots of Scchmm edule produce certain bulky tubers known by the Mexican 
names chinchayote. chayotestle. and camochayote: the weif,'ht is about 8 jjounds 
or under; the form is variable, sometimes subcylindrical, sometimes ovoid or com- 
pletely irregular. The bark is irregularly cracked, of a dirty yellowish color, and 
covered with a multitude of small plates separated by shallow cracks: the interior 
is yellowish white, especially toward the outside. 

'Seep. 14. 

-Semlers •' Tropische Agrilailtur," ed. 2, vol. 2, p. 810 (11-00). 



THE EDIBLE RooT. 25 

In 100 parts of the tubers I have found the following constituents: 

Per cent. 

Water --- 71.00 

Starch - --- ■-- ^000 

Resinon.s material soluble in ether ... . - .20 

Sugars ... - - - . ^^ 

Vegetable albumen - - 4:5 

Cellulose . .-- •'>-«0 

Rxtracted material, tartrate of potash, chloride of sodinm, sulphate of lime, 

and silica - - - 2.2') 

Loss - --- --- - ^0 

Total 100.00 

In separate analyses of different tubers 1 have obtained as high as 25 per centof 
starch in one case and 18 in others which is easily explainable by the nature of the 
soil in which the vegetable grew, the time of harvest, etc. 

The starch placed in water under the microscope presents the form of lenticular 
grannies, very similar to the starch of wheat, though of greater diameter. Sub- 
jected to the action of boiling water it passes readily into a paste. * * * i 

On Hccoiiiit of the ease with which it is digested, Ilerrem advocati^s 
the use of the starch of the cliayote as a substitute for arrowroot in 
feeding- children and invalids as well as for general purposes. 

Outside Mexico the roots of tlis chayote appear to have been very 
little used, and opinions differ greatly regarding their value, probably 
l^ecause e.vperiments were made at different seasons and by different 
methods. Lo\ve says that the "rhizome or rootstock" is "large, 
amorphous, massive; corkj^ rather than fleshy or woody," and says 
nothing about the root being eaten in Madeira, though the fruit is 
popular there. Probably his exainination was made from old oi' 
partly dried roots. In Jamaica it has loug been known that the root 
is edible. It is described by various writers as "farinaceous," and is 
commonly compared to the true yams (Dioscorea). It may be either 
boiled or roasted, but there seems to be no account of special methods 
of cooking or dishes for which it is used. 

As with the fruits, any excess of tubers can be utilized as food for 
stock. There seems to be no i-ecord of this having been done any- 
where except in Australia; but the resourceful farmers of that coun- 
ti\y have reported several successful experiments in feeding the roots 
of the chayote to hogs. 

After the second season the root should be carefully removed, when it will be 
found that a large tuber has been formed, somewhat jelly-like in apptarance 
when cut. which can be uti.ized either by boiling as a vegetable or fed to pigs, for 
which purpose it is particularly valuable. 

It should not be forgotten that the roots of this plant will shoot out and bear a 
crop in the secona year, and that after this a large tuber will be found under- 
ground, which, in addition to being edible in the same way as a yam, is most 
nutritious food for hogs. The chocho will bo found a most ^Jatisfactory crop lor 
pig farmers, and can be utilized on all hands to cover lansightly fences and build- 

'Herrera. La Naturaleza, vol. 1, p. 235 (1870). 



26 • THE chayotk: a tkoi'kjal vegetable. 

ings. Although it gives the best results in the humid atmosphere of our coastal 
districts it will prove a good croj) under irrigation in the easily worked lonms of 
the warm western districts, and will l)ear fruit nearly all the year round away 
from the influence of frosts.' 

But the already noticed Mexican custom of harvesting the tubers 
without destroying the vine shows tliat the phmt, when once estab- 
lislied, (Mi.joys great vitality, and the above suggestion of rephmting 
at the end of the second season seems to indicate that the perennial 
nature of the species is not adequately understood in New South 
AVales. 

VALUE AS A BEE PLANT. 

As in other vegetables of the s(|uash family tlie stamens and pistils 
are in separate fiowei's, pollination taking place through the agency 
of- insects. To attract these the flowers of botli kinds, but especially 
the pistillate, yield abundant nectar, which is secreted in ten glands, 
two at the base of eacli of the lobes of the corolla. In most of the 
countries into which it has been introduced bee keeping has not been 
a regular industry and the value of the chayote as a source of honey 
has not been noticed, but the reports of experimenters in New South 
Wales contain very emphatic statements on the subject: 

When the plant is in flower I have noticed that the vines were swarming with 
bees, and as flowers are scarce in the autumn the plant will no doubt be valuable 
as a honey ])rodncer. 

The plant, which spreads over a large area, commenced flowering at the close of 
the year, and has been well laden with mellifluous blossoms ever since. The bees 
are extremely fond of the chocho. and with the apiarist the newly ntrodnced plant 
must become a strong favorite. ' 

From the photograph of a flowering stem (PI. IT) it will be seen that 
the chayote differs fiom many Cucurbitaceae in producing numerous 
flowers on each fertile branch. It has long been known that the flow- 
ers of this family are rich in honey, but from the standpoint of the 
bee keeper they have been considered of little importance because 
seldom accessible in suflicient amount, though in the United States 
fields are recognized as good bee pastures. The chayote seems to 
make up by numbers what the flowers lack in size, so that the yield 
of honey may be larger tlian in related plants. In addition to this 
there is the fact that Sechium is a perennial bloomer in the Tropics 
and in the sul)ti'opical regions has a very long season. It is thus 
possible that in regions like parts of Florida, where bee keeping is 
already an established industry, the honej^ producing qualities of the 
chayote may be found of practical account in connection with its other 
utilities. 



1 Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales, vol. 5, pt. 10, p. 738 (1894). 

-' Agricultural (xazette of New South Wales, vol. 4, pp. 41(5 to 419(1893). Several 
minor notices of the chayote also occur in the same periodical, vol. 2. pp. 1 1 ?, 054. 
1891. 



Bui. 28, Div, of Botany, Dept. of Agr. 



Plate VIII. 




Chayote Leaf and flowering Branch. 



CTTLINARY INFORMATION. 27 

THE CHAYOTE AS AN ORNAMENTAL. 

In planting the cliayote for its fruits and roots it is worth while to 
consider several minor advantages to be derived from this unusually 
useful i^lant. The clusters of small star-shaped white flowers of the 
cha3^ote (PI. VIII), thougli by no means conspicuous are not unpleas- 
ing, and are said to have a fragrance resembling tliat of the peach. 
The p(Mi(laut, pear-sliaped fruits are also not unsightly; but llie vine 
would scarcely have a claim to ])e ranked as an oi'uamental were it 
not for its vigorous growth and the fresh, clean color and graceful 
form of its leaves. In shape and texture they suggest somewhat the 
leaves of the cucumber, and have also heeh compared to those of the 
grape; the habit and general effect of the plant are also entirely 
phrasing, and a New Orleans seed firm includes it among the orna- 
mentals of its catalogue. As already noted, the most conspicuous 
advantage of the chayote for ornamental luirposes is its very rapid 
and continued growth. A single vine has been described as co veering 
in a few months a fence G feet liigh and 50 feet long, and an even 
larger s])ace was pi'obably filled in subsequent seasons. As noted 
among the cultural suggestions, the chayote is not likely to be either 
ornamental oi- useful in exposed situations, since strong winds inter- 
fere sei'iously with the growth of the vine; but in yards and other 
inclosures it will ([uickly cover fences, sheds, or anything els(^ which 
it is desii-ed to conceal. 

PREPARATION FOR THE TABLE. 

STAGE OF (moVVTH FOR USE. 

As with many other members of the squasli family which must 
be cooked before eating, the young or still immature fruits of the 
chayote are more delicate in texture and in flavoi- than the fully 
ripened. The latter sometimes become tough and stringy, to a degree 
depending, doubtless, upon the vai-iety and the local conditions. For 
marketing at a distance it will probably be desirable to permit full 
size and a reasonable firmness of texture to be reached, but for home 
consumption, at least, fruits-may be selected with reference to tiie use 
for w liich they ai'e intended and according to individual taster in the 
matter of i-ipeness. 

C()()KIN<4. 

The simplest method of cooking is to halve or quai'ter the peeled 
fruit, boil, and serve witli salt and pepper like the summer squash 
or the vegetable marrow; or, after a prelinunary l)oiling, the pieces 
may be baked with meat and served like baked potatoes or squash. 
Some prefer to cut the parboiled fruits into slices, which are then 
fried. In addition to these simple and direct uses the chayote 
readily lends itself to the purposes of general cookery, and nuiy be 



28 THE ohayote: a tropical vegetable. 

used not only as a snbslitnte for the sqnash, bnt its finer and yet 
firniei- textnre will j)i-ol)ably render it ac(;ei)table to many who do not 
relisli squashes. It shonld not be foi'gotten that although the ehayote 
so fai- i-es<unl)les the other memliers of tlie squash family that for pui-- 
I)oses of diiseiviption it. must be comi)ared with them, yet its flavor is 
(iuit(^ distinct and much nutvo. delicate than that of other vegetables 
of tliis Icind. 

'I'hose who have recently arrived in Uic Ti-opics frecpiently suffer 
man}^ unnecessary hardships in matters of food because they do not 
make a serious attempt to understand the nature and methods of pre- 
paring the matei'ials available, but look upon the new fruits and v(ige- 
lables merely as bad or indifferent substitutes for the products of 
temperate climates. Not many works on tropical cookery are as yet 
at the disposal of those who desire to take advantage of previous 
knowledge and experience, and detailed suggestions for preparing 
the ehayote seem to have appeared in but one publication, a eopy of 
which was secured at Kingston, Jamaica, by Mr. David G. Fairchild, 
agricultural explorer of this Department. Fortunately tlie ehayote, 
or, as it is there called, the "cho-cho," has received considerable 
attention, including high commendation of its table qualities, and 
several useful and suggestive recipes are given, which are re[)i-iMled 
in the following extracts: 

.JAMAICAN RECIPES. 

The cho cho is a very Tisefiil vegetable. It can be cooked in various ways, and 
the natives are very partial to it, it being, as they say. '• so i ooling," They often 
put it in their soups as an addition. Plain boiled with !)Utter or white sauce, it is 
excellent; mashed with butter and black pepper, it is nice; put in stews, it makes 
a pleasant variety; ami made into boiled or baked puddings with a .iudicious addi- 
tion of sugar and lime juice, it so much resembles apple as to deceive one into 
believing one is eating apple pudding or apple tart. The baked pudding is par- 
ticularly good. 

Cho-dto, Httiffcil. — Boil two cho-chos with the skin on. When boiled scoop out 
the insides (cutting the cho-cho the long way). Remove the seeds and pith, pare 
away the pup caretully. leaving enough near the rind not to break with it. Mash 
the pulp with some nicely seasoned fine mince, to which add a little butter and 
pepper, and pack the mi.xture into the chocho backs or skins. Cover with fine 
bread crumbs and bake. A nice side dish. 

Cho-dio pudding, boiled.— Mix 4 ounces of grated liread, the same (luantity of 
currants, and three tablespoonfuls of sugar together, add the cho-chos (mixed as 
stated below), and then the well- beaten eggs. Pour into a buttered mold with a 
cover and boil two hours. 

To prepare the cho chos for pudding: Boil two large cho-chos with eight cloves 
and a small bit of cinnamon till tender. Remove the seeds and strings, after 
which mash the cho-chos well and scjueeze out idl the water, which will be plenti- 
ful. This will be easily done by putting them into a clean dry cloth and wring- 
ing them well. Mix this pulp with a couple of tablespoonfuls of sugar, some 
grated nutmeg, and the squeezed juice of one lime. It is impossible from the 
varying sizes of the cho-chos to be perfectly accurate as to the exact proportions 
of the sugar and lime to be put, but either can be added until you are satisfied as 



JAMAICAN RECIPES. 29 

to the apple taste. Often more of both sugar and lime will be required. The pud- 
ding can be eaten hot with sugar sauce or cold with a custard around it. 

L'lio-cho (Old groinnl rice pudding. — Boil four good-si-ced cho-chos and prepare 
as for boiled cho-cho pudding. Take a dessert-spoonful of ground rice and boil it 
with a pint of milk and water. Sweeten when half done, add cinnamon and spice. 
Beat up one egg well and add to this till it thickens. Put the cho-cho into a pie 
dish and the custard over it. G-rate some niitmeg over the top and bake. Excel- 
lent hot or cold. 

Tous-les-mois (cauna) may be substituted for ground rice if preferred. Make 
it the same way. 

Baked clio-cho pudding. — Four good-sized cho-chos boiled with ten cloves, and 
mashed and prepared as before, only putting the juice of two limes, one-half pound 
of sugar, one tablespoonful of butter, and some ilutineg. Put the mixture at the 
bottom of a well-buttered pie dish and cover it with a pint of grated bread. Beat 
the yolks of three eggs and one white and add to them half a pint of milk sweetened 
to taste; pour this over the bread crumbs and bake. When it has " taken color" 
and is nicely baked remove it from the tire. Then beat the whites of the eggs left 
over into a stilf froth: add two tablespoonfuls of sugar: when stiff spread over the 
pudding. Put back into the oven for a couple of minutes to color a pale yellow. 
It is nice either hot or cold. 

Cho-cho fort.— hine the pie dish with xiastry [pie crust] and leave .some to cover 
the tart. Take six good-si'ed cho-chos: pare, core, and boil them with a dozen 
cloves. When tender slice tliem, not too thin, and put them at the bottom of the 
pie: sprinkle them with the sugar, the grated lime peel [of one lime] and the juice 
[of two limes] , then cover with pastry and bake from half an hour to three-quarters. 
Eaten when cold with a cold boiled custard.it is much more appreciated, but it 
can be served hot as apple tart. 

Clio-cho siuicc (IS a .sub.'ititufc for ctpplc .svf/frc. — Two cho-chos boiled with three 
or four cloves. When boiled, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar and some lime juice, 
mashing the cho-chos well first. S(iueezing out the water and then adding the 
juice of the lime. Serve with a little butter and pepper stirred in. 

Cho-clio .seeds OH lodst. — Remove the seeds without leaving any of the meat or 
strings round them. Boil these till tender. Put on slices of buttered toast which 
have a little anchovy spread on them. Pour white sauce over all and serve hot. 

Cho-cho .sororij. —Cut two boiled cho-chos in fingers; put on anchovy toast and 
pour very hot cocoanut cream over the whole. Serve hot. 

Clio-cho friiters. — Boil three large cho-chos with six cloves until tender, remove 
the seeds and pithy svibstance in.side and mash the pulp. Squeeze it in a clean 
cloth until as dry as you can get it. Then mix in one egg well Ijeaten, add butter 
and pepper (and salt to flavor); a teaspoonful of butter will do, and remove the 
cloves. Make into fritters and fry in lard. 

FRENCH METHODS OF PREPARATION. 

The popuhirity of the chayote in Fraiic(3 does not depend, liowev(M-, 
upon its use in special dishes; it has found a place instead in general 
cookery. Professor Trabut believes that as soon as its table qualities 
are known it will become a general favorite, and adds the following 
suggestions : 

Before any special preparation the chayote should be kept in boiling water for 
about an hour. After this cooking the leathery skin is easily detached; it can be 
t )rn off in pieces. The seed is also removed. The vegetable now shows a white 
desh like that of a boiled turnip. Cut in slices, it may bb prepared with all kinds 



30 THK chayote: a thoi'ical vegetable. 

of satires, but it is generally most snccessfnl •' en gratin '" with butter an<l dieese. 
In Martiniqu-i tho flesh Iroiii whicli jiart of the excess of water has been removed 
by squeezing in a cloth is mashed (trituree) with bread soaked in milk. This 
forms a paste (patee; which is very palatable when it is properly seasoned. 

The firm flesh of the chayote is cut into art choke bases { fondu (rayticlmiit), and 
it fills this r(Me sufficiently well. 

Slices of the chayote go very well with celery, cauiiflower, and kohlrabi. The 
flexible and fibrous stems are employed in making the finest quality of baskets. 

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE AND COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS. 

Tlic qiKistioii naturally suggests itself whether the chayote may not 
have a future as an article of export fioiu tropical to temperate 
regions. While it may be doubtful whether competition with tem- 
perate vegetables could be protital)ly sustained, it seems entii-ely 
probable that in the winter and s])ring tlu^ chayote would find ready 
sale, at least in our city nuirkets, when once it had beconu^ known to 
the American public. The plant is not only perennial, but ever- 
bearing, and in connection with a fruit trade or othei' i-egular means 
of communication the shipment of chayotes at the proper season might 
be found advantageous. At the time of the writer's visit to Porto 
Rico it seemed to rank among the more important of the fresh vege- 
tables for sale in the markets of the Porto Rican towns. Many Amer- 
icans had not, however, learned to make use of it and others did not 
even know its name or nature, but those who had tried it in most 
cases leportetl favorably. 

Herrera holds that the chayote is one of the most important of the 
indigenous economic plants of Mexico, and that it is the superior of 
the potato in the ({uality and quantity of its products. He also states 
that its culture is rapidly increasing in Mexico, and believes that it is 
to become one of the most important of cultivated plants, since it fur- 
nishes palatable and wholesome foods which can be produced with 
extreme cheapness. The single-seeded character of the fruit is a 
serious impediment to its rapid introduction and multiplication in 
culture, but it is a significant fact that in all communities where it is 
known at all it has gradually increased in i)()pularily. 

A conspicuous instance of this is to be found in Algeria, where, 
although introduced as early as 1845, and highly recommended in 
1860 by INI. llai-dy, the director of the exi)erimental garden of Algeria, 
it has increased in popularity very slowly for many j^ears, and only 
within the last decade has become a commercial product of sei-ious 
importance. Dr. Trabut maintains that only exorbitant freight rates 
stand in the way of the expansion of the chayote industiy in Algeria. 
Even under the present charges hundreds of tons are shipped annually 
to London and Paris. Very recently (1899) MM. Pailleux and Bois^ 
still complain that only the high prices prevent the attainment of wide 



Le Potager d'ttn Curieux, Paris, p. So (1899). 



CONCLUSION. 31 

popularity by the chayote as a wiiitei- veijetable in Paris, and they 
also advocate its culture on a larj^e scale in Algeria. Its utility as a 
substitute for the base of the true artichoke in hiiih-priced dishes is 
a suggestion that it will find other places in the elaboiate e,uisine of 
Paris and other large cities of Europe. 

Thus with the home demand, the already existing New Orleans 
market, and the probability that the cha.yote would find a graduallj^ 
increasing welcome in the larger American cities, the cultivation of it 
on a large scale is one of the existing openings for the Porto Rican 
agriculturist. It should not, however, be forgotten that with this, as 
with other products, access to permanent markets requires a perma- 
nent or regular supply of the article olfered; so that the commercial 
possibilities of the chayote will not be known until it is produced in 
considerable excess of local demands. 



o 



Lb Mr '08 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




